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Five things to not do when your child is having a tantrum

During a tantrum you and your child undergo a lot of stress. If this happens in a public place, you could even feel embarrassed. The combination of stress and embarrassment is exhausting. The number one tip to remember is that you are the adult in this equation. You have the power to do something about it and clam the situation.

You may have heard may tips about what to do during a tantrum. Those can be confusing because you need to do what best suits your child, and not always follow the best practices. Here are five things not to do when your child is having a tantrum.

1. Don’t try to reason

Imagine giving a speech during a thunderstorm. Do you really think you’d have an attentive audience? Certainly not. Tantrums are the same. Emotions are running high. So try reassuring your child by giving them a hug or reflect their own feelings back to them. “You feel angry”, “your play was disturbed” etc. This will make your child calmer since they know you understand what they may be feeling.

2. Don’t yell back

You are the adult, remember? Don’t make it worse. Use a softer voice instead.

3. Don’t ignore it

This can be devastating for a child. Children need an authority figure to give them boundaries. Ignoring a tantrum will not make it go away. Deal with it instead.

4. Don’t abuse your child

Yelling is one thing, but don’t hit your child, push or bully them into submission.

5. Don’t use time out every time

There are times when older children need to go to their room to calm down. But this may not work every time.